now that that is cleared up we can get back to more issues. like whether santa is a democrat or republican. i will let someone else hash that out and say merry christmas to all and to all a good night. that's it for us. thanks for watching. "early start" begins now. have a great day. an unbelievable morning for two mega million lottery holders. two tickets matching all tix numbers. splitting one of the largest jackpots in history. what we know about the winners. the shooting rampage near that nevada hospital. the very latest on what we're hearing this morning. and a passionate plea from amanda knox saying she is is not a psychopath on trial again for the brutal death of her roommate. we're live with that story. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. that should tell you something. >> i'm here as well.

great to fill in for christine. i'm pamela brown. >> we are both here this morning, because we have bad news for millions and millions and millions of you. you did not win. neither did we. >> no? >> this now say worthless piece of paper, another dollar thrown to the wind. however, not everyone say loser this morning. at least not that kind of loser. there are two tickets out there, two winning tickets for the massive mega millions jackpot. they will split the jackpot. they could have $648 million and deal with the onslaught of dysfunction that will follow. alison kosik is here with the details. good morning. >> let's get to the numbers. i'm sure people throughout want to check their numbers. hey, you could have won one of the lesser prizes. i won a dollar. >> everyone is say loser this morning. >> you get your dollar back.

8, 20, 14, 17, 39, mega ball, 7. the two winning tickets were sold in two states. georgia and california. one was purchased at the gateway newsstand inside a shopping mall in atlanta. the other jenny's gift shop in san jose. the this is the second jackpot in history. $20 million shy of the record given out in last march. it's far too early to know exactly who won. whether it's a group or a family or an office pool. the way the lottery works, the cash option is already about half of the total, so even though the big number $636 million, it's only worth, only, only $341 million in cash. >> that's paltry. >> it's better than waking up with a dollar like i did. you factor in the state taxes and washington's share, and each of the winners will only, ha ha

walk away with $120 million. that's still not bad. i'd take it. the number of people who actually jumped in for their chance to win. you can't overstate that. you look in florida, the lottery officials say it topped 8,000 per minute. on it tuesday. one clerk said she had to change the rolls of printer paper four times in two hours. that's despite overwhelming odds that most people won't win. let's go over the odds more likely to be hit by an asteroid or a comet, get struck by lightning. all of those things, you better have odds. two people have clearly beaten the odds. i do want you to know the people who have won the jackpot will eventually have to come forthpublicly. only six states allow lottery winners to stay anonymous and california and georgia are two of them.

it gives winners up to a year to claim their prize. georgia allows up to six months, giving them plenty of time to call a lawyer. get their affairs together before starting their new lives as multimillionaires. not too bad for 20 second prize winners. second place, each getting $1 million. >> i just checked my ticket. >> i could be sitting new york stock exchange a millionaire. >> you could be. i've been covering the story as well. $800 million in lottery prizes goes unclaimed. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. and shifting our focus to another big story this morning, there are many questions about a deadly shooting near a hospital in reno, nevada. the gunman opened fire in a neurology office near renown regional medical center. at least one person was killed and two others were wounded before gunman turned the weapon

on himself. >> we'll get you out as soon as we can. if you would stay in this room. >> thank you, guys. >> as far as the suspect goes, we still don't have a solid identity on him yet, but we're working several leads on who he is. >> and police say they don't think the shooting was random, but the motive remains unclear. it is another chilly morning in the country as another hit of snow makes its way tout sea. it's turned deadly taking the life of a homeless man in new hampshire. and in new york, a massive 32-car pileup is being blamed on fast-forming black ice. temperatures rose during the day causing the light snow that fell on the city to melt a little. then it refroze. the injuries said to be minor, unbelievably. in chicago, a woman drown after falling into the ice in

the river. apparently slipping after walking alongside the river. a 32 man was rescued in time. hypothermia can set in very, very quickly. >> as your temperature goes down, your disorientation occurs, you get very confused. it's hard for people in the water -- >> indra petersons is tracking all the weather. >> good morning. >> we know, no maps this morning. a little difficulty. i'm going to give you what you need to know before you go out. here's the best part, it's not snowing unless. you want to be careful on this morning hours. very cool temperatures. a little surprise here. we've got maps for you guys. let's talk about the mountains. central part. we definitely saw a lot in new york, all the way through the afternoon. but a lot of it melted on impact so it only measured about an

inch or so.massachusetts, they got 8 inches and we want to watch for lake-effect snow, lake ontario and erie. it could last until tomorrow. we know it's cold. temperatures below normal. it's down in the southeast, notice places like memphis and atlanta. those temperatures are going to be going up significantly over the next several days which means there have been a severe weather threat by the weekend. you never want warm air coming up against cold air. washington, the first big number one, that's all you need to know. this guy moves a lot quicker. so for the midwest, you're talking light showers and rain in the north and east. by saturday and sunday, that huge trough, that's going to bring a threat for severe weather by the weekend. and that's key, this late in the season, talking about those winds around the gulf there. >> what are you talking about,

tornadoes? >> not as strong as straight line winds but you cannot rule them out. >> where exactly? >> kentucky all the way back from texas, even into the carolinas down through florida by sunday. we'll be watching that closely. >> thanks. the senate is is poised today to give final approval to a bipartisan budget deal that will hold off another government shutdown. on tuesday 12 republicans joined with senate democrats to have the plan to fund the government through 2015. a diplomatic uproar through the u.s. and india, after a consoler was arrested after they say she faked documents. and she was arrested and strip-searched. and that treatment is called barbaric.

taking down security barriers outside of an embassy in new delhi. six americans are dead after their hospital crashed. it happened in the southern part of the country. and two senior u.s. officials tell cnn it's not clear if enemy fire may have been responsible for their deaths. the pentagon is looking into reports that the troops actually survived that crash that came under mortar fire after the chopper went down. those reports have not been confirmed. brazil's president is still not commenting on a deal offered by edward snowden. snowden has offered to help brazil in change for political asylum there. brazilian lawmakers are furious knowing that the nsa was monitoring their phones and e-mails. the 1988 bombing of the pan-am flight over lockerbie,

scotland. currently in a jail facing charges against humanity. american authorities suspect he played a role in the deadly attack. and telling the british press we all need to know the facts. a strong denial with the obama administration that the west things that bashar al assad should not be held in syria. opposition forces say they were told by western officials in london that there's growing fear if al assad leaves syria, syria could collapse in the chaos. overseas, a top iranian official indicating that the administration may be able to work out a long-term nuclear deal. an official told the news agency that, quote, situation is ready for iran to reach a final agreement with world powers. the iranian government reached a

deal late last month on how sanctions are being enforced. president obama will not be heading to the sochi olympics. they're the latest world leaders to pass on attending the game. the white house instead plans to send a delegation that includes tennis great billie jean king who is openly gay. this seems like not a so subtle review for the anti-gay laws. a new passionate plea from manda knox telling an italian court that she is not a murderer. we're live with the very latest on the story. a dramatic rescue on the track. a blind man and his guide dog falling from the subway platform. what happened next, folks, truly stunning. we'll tell you after the break.

it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what? afghanistan in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

jim, i adore the pool at your hotel.ver had to make. anna, your hotels have wondrous waffle bars. ryan, your hotels' robes are fabulous. i have twelve of them. twelve? shhhh, i'm worth it& what i'm trying to say is, it's so hard to pick just one of you, so i'm choosing all of you with hotels.com. a loyalty program that requires no loyalty. plus members can win a free night every day only at hotels.com ♪ don't disguise bad odors in your trash. neutralize them and freshen. with glad odorshield with febreze.

welcome back to "early start," everyone. a new plea from amanda knox this morning. she is again declaring her innocence, this time, in her retrial for murder. and even though she isn't the italian courtroom, her words are being heard in the form of a letter. aaron mclaughlin is following the story. erin, what did knox say exactly about the trial and did she explain why she's not there? >> reporter: hi, john, well,

amanda knox is not legally required to be in court. and she said that she's afraid to be there, writing, and that she's worried that the prosecution will be able to, in her words, blind the judges. though she did submit this five-page letter written in italian to the judges. when the italian judge treefd he questioned why she was not there to deliver the message in person. he nevertheless read the message out in court. she reasserts her innocence. she said i must repeat, i did not rape, i did not steal, i did not kill meredith. now for six years, questions have swirled around her seemingly erratic behavior and statements that followed meredith kercher's death. she explains in this letter that was in part due to police intimidation writing, quote, i

was lied to by the police. i was threatened. they hit me twice, i had no lawyer. and she described the psychological pressure of standing trial saying i was called as a wolf dressed as a sheep, a rapist, a thief, psychotic. i am not a psycho path. now sollecito's lawyers are expected to give their closing arguments in january. we expect a verdict in this trial later that month, john. >> of course, meredith kercher was the young woman killed in italy. what's her family saying about all of this? >> under italian law, meredith kercher's family is allowed to have legal representation in the trial. they spoke out in the trial, earlier in the week, saying they believe there is enough evidence to convict amanda knox and her former boyfriend, raffaele solleci sollecito. they urged them to look at the

bigger picture, they're also critical of the defendants saying no one remembers meredith, while they write bookings and speak to the media and earn money, meredith has been killed and her suffering has been incal calculable. no matter what the outcome of this trial, both sides, under italian law will be able to appeal. if ultimately amanda knox is convicted, it, of course, will be up to the united states whether or not to extradite her. john. >> erin mclaughlin for us reporting on the amanda knox story. another twist and turn. appreciate it. 17 minutes after the hour. finding out more about an attack at a high school. the sheriff in arapahoe county said karl pierson had written things on his arms that seemed to correspond. also on his arm, a latin phrase

meaning "the die has been cast." he shot a classmate before shooting himself. the classmate is hospitalized and in a coma. the l.a.x. suspect has now been formally indicted for first degree murder. 23-year-old paul ciancia is charged with the shooting that killed jir rald low hernandez. prosecutors have not decided whether or not to seek the death penalty. a harvard university sophomore is in court today facing charges that he was behind the bomb threat that all but shut down the school earlier this week. the 20-year-old was accused of e-mailing threats to the police and harvard newspaper claiming there were explosives in four buildings. these buildings were searched, nothing was found. kim was among those scheduled to take final exams.

i was reading in the crimson, of course, there are questions that he was trying to get out of those exams. >> it was a student that called it in. 22 homes have now been destroyed by a wildfire burning in big sur, california. the fire so far has scorched nearly 800 acres, but the good news is it is now about 20% contained. big sur fire chief martha karstens is among those who lost their homes. >> until it happens to you, you feel sorry for them. literally, i went out to fight a fire. i had my purse, my cell phone and my glasses. and i didn't know i was going to be trying to save my own home. >> amazingly, there are no injuries reported from the fire and cruise hope to contain it by friday. the cause still under investigation. now, to simple a will be amazing story from right here in new york city where a blind man named cecil williams was on a subway platform when he fell on to the tracks.

the train was fast approaching. his seeing eye dog orlando was at his side. the dog tried to pull cecil back, but it didn't work. the dog fell on to the tracks, too. obviously they could have been seriously hurt. this is the amazing part. both are okay, despite having the train roll over top of them. >> he was all the way at the edge. backwards. and the dog was trying to pull him in. i tried to scream at him to come in, he was near the tracks. >> and then he fell. >> down to the tracks. >> and the dog? >> and the dog, he pulled him in there with him. >> i yelled at the man to stay down. >> it must have been a lucky day for him. he was semi coherent. he asked us how his dog was doing. we told him his dog was fine. >> what they did, they lied down in the trench on the track. both the dog and cecil williams are okay. he did suffer several cuts, he's in the hospital. the dog was by his side most of

the night. the dog has since gone home with williams girlfriend. and in today's "road warriors" some advice for working smarter on the road using the latest smartphone apps. if you don't feel like fight for a taxi, you can check out uber. you can select a nearby car based on the receiver. the app sends your driver's contact information and their estimates time of arrival. and then there is iexit. now, this is an app that takes the guesswork out of planning your next pit stop. we can all use this right? telling your smartphone what choices you have for food, and hotels, and up to nearly 50 exits. and check out spin lister, this puts you in touch with locals who have a ride to share.

just return it. 21 minutes after the hour. coming up, a first ever in the history of mma. a battle of the sexes playing out inside the ring. andy scholes explains it all in the "bleacher report" next. (vo) you are a business pro. seeker of the sublime. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. (natalie) ooooh, i like your style. (vo) so do we, business pro. so do we. go national. go like a pro. open to innovation. open to ambition. open to bold ideas.

that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs, and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com. we're open to it. life could be hectic. as a working mom of two young boys angie's list saves me a lot of time. after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job, and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money.

for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today. hoo-hoo...hoo-hoo. hoo-hoo hoo. sir... i'll get it together i promise... heeheehee. jimmy: ronny, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? ronny: i'd say happier than the pillsbury doughboy on his way to a baking convention. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. hey there, i just got my bill, and i see that it includes my fico® credit score. yup, you get it free each month to help you avoid surprises with your credit. good. i hate surprises. surprise! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card and see your fico® credit score.

welcome back to "early start," everyone. we could see mma history friday night in brazil. main is going to fight a woman. in mma. >> hmm, want to learn more about this? andy scholes joins us with the details in this morning's "bleacher report." hey, andy. >> promoters for this mma in brazil looking to get people's attention, mission accomplished. the poster is getting a ton of buzz on "bleacher report" and all over social media. it features emerson falcao on the left and juliana velasquez on the right. she trained and is ready for the challenge. no rule on whether there are special rules for the contest. i'm sure velasquez say great fighter but seems like a really bad idea. what's better than one buzzer beater?

how about two? harrison high, a great three-pointer with one second left on the clock. they celebrate, think they've won the game, but then after a time-out, avon hit a crazy half-court shot at the buzzer to win the game. another example of it ain't over till it's over. patriots tight end rob gronkowski still recovering from knee surgery, but he isn't too hurt to spread holiday cheer. he dressed up like an elf and wheeled his way around in children's hospital in boston visiting with all the patients. gronk handed out gifts with teammate steven ridley, he played the role of santa claus. i don't know what says christmas than rob gronkowski dressed like an elf. >> gronk is the one holding on to the football because if they gave it to ridley, he'd probably drop it. thank you very much. that's for all you patriots fans

throughout. had to be said. andy scholes, appreciate it. the top headlines and everything you need know for the day right after this break. stay with us. t is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. [ car beeps ] ♪ ♪ we're gonna need a bigger bucket. ♪ [ male announcer ] more people are leaving bmw, mercedes and lexus for audi than ever before. the holidays won't last and neither will the season of audi. visit audioffers.com today.

♪ open to innovation. open to ambition. open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs, and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com.

two tickets splitting one of the largest lottery jackpots ever. can you say merry freaking christmas? this morning, what we know about the winners so far. and a gunman on a shooting spree at a hospital campus in reno. two dead, two more injured. the latest on the investigation just ahead. and a severe snowstorm turns deadly. indra petersons this morning with the latest on this really surprising system. welcome back to "early start," everyone, i'm pamela brown. the fact that we're here means -- >> yes, we are losers. 30 minutes after the hour. i'm john berman. great to see you this morning. >> well, it's a very good morning, not only for us because we get to work together obviously. >> i like eye you a lot but i would take the $640 million.

i like you maybe like a few million. not 640. >> all right. well, these other two people who actually did win the jackpot unlike us, they won big, $636 million as john said. in the mega millions lottery drawn last night. and the prizes for them will be huge. the winning numbers, here we go, 8, 20, 14, 17, 39 with the mega ball of alison. >> i'm not a loser. i won one of the lesser prizes. i won a dollar for three tickets. i'm $3 richer today, i guess. let's talk about the winner, those winners, the two winning tickets. those were sold in georgia and california. one was purchased at the gateway newsstand at alliance center in atlanta. the other at jenny's gift shop in san jose. now, this was the second biggest mega millions jackpot in history. $20 million shy of the record

prize given out in march 2012. so it is too early to know exactly who won, whether each ticket belongs to one person, a group or family, or co-workers. even though the prize is going to get divided at least in half. the way the lottery works, the cash option is already half the total. even though the big number was $636 million. it's only worth about $121 million in cash. each of the winners are likely only to walk away, ha ha, only, only walk away with around $120 million. that's still not too bad, right? as for the number of people who jumbled in, for their chance to win, this is is amazing. in florida, lottery officials there are saying that their sales topped $8,000 per minute on tuesday. oh, my gosh. one new hampshire store clerk said she had to change the roles of printer paper four times in the course of two hours. that's despite the overwhelming

odds that most people -- you wouldn't win. and everybody knew that. it's the ultimate fantasy to put down that money and say, i'm going to win. you're likely to get hit by an asteroid or comet. more likely to be bit by a shark or struck by lightning. two people clearly have beaten the odds. got to note, though, the people who won the jackpot are likely going to have to eventually come forward publicly. only six states allow lot with winners to stay anonymous. and california and georgia are not two of them. but it may take a while to know who won. california gives winners up to a year to claim their prize. georgia allows winners six months to get plenty of time to call a lawyer. >> lawyer up. >> and it's not too bad for the 20 second prize winners. each of them get $1 million. gosh, you know, i would be thrilled to be just second

place. >> i know. it's all relative, though, you hear 1 million? you're like 1 million? when you're up again $300 million. >> 33 minutes after the hour, and the motive is still unclear for that deadly shooting in nevada. the gunman opened fire in a neurology office near renown medical center, at least two people were killed and two others woundsed. the entire building was locked down as s.w.a.t. teams went room to room. >> we'll get you out as soon as we can. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, guys. >> as far as the suspect goes, we still don't have a solid identity on it yet, we are working several leads on who he is. >> police say they don't think that the shooting was random. a fast-moving snowstorm is heading out to sea today, taking with it some of that intense cold that left much of the country shivering for the last

week. that cold snap that socked the nation has now turned deadly. taken the life of a homeless man in new hampshire. >> the cold is also being blamed for a lot of car accidents like this one here in new york. a massive 32-car pileup, as a result of black ice that quickly formed on an expressway. this was a mess-however, the injuries from that scene luckily are said to be minor. a tragic drowning in chicago after a tourist to the city fell into the icy chicago river. the 30-year-old was walking with friends when she apparently slipped early tuesday morning. rescue crews slipped under the ice for 15 minutes before finding her. just last week, a 31-year-old man also fell into the river but was rescued in time. doctors warm hypothermia can set in very quickly. >> as your temperature goes down, your disorientation occurs. you get very confused. it's hard for the people in the water. >> i think the storm has lingered a lot longer than

anyone thought it would. it's been more deadly. let's find out what's going to happen next. let's go to indra petersons for a look at the forecast for today. >> it's a weird season, storm after storm continuing to roll here as we get towards winter. let's talk about what we saw yesterday. a lot of variation, we did know the farther north you got, you are going to see the higher amounts. we're watching for lake-effect snow, we're going to continue to see thats especially off lake erie and ontario. temperaturewise, it is cold. it will rebound nicely very quickly. what we're watching is memphis, atlanta, places like that in the southeast. look how high the temperatures are starting to climb. near the 70s. that is key, as another system is expected to make its way through. there's actually two out here. number one, all you got to watch, a little faster. number two, good news around that fire, big sur fire, this is the one that could bring severe weather. that first one making its way

across very quickly towards the midwest. you're going to notice light snow showers there. most likely, middle of the week towards the end of the week, by friday or so, the northeast looking for light rain out of this. it's that second system that's going to be more powerful. you're going to notice, you're going to have that blend, you're going to have that cold front go up against where that warm air is in the southeast. with that, this is what we're watching. it's still far out. we do know there's severe weather threat. bad timing saturday and sunday, spreading into the carolinas by sunday. >> you're talking straight line winds there, severe, severe winds and possibly tornadoes. >> and possibly tornadoes. 37 minutes after the hour. a great bipartisan experiment in congress, well it could reach a conclusion today. with the senate set to give final approval to that compromised budget deal that will keep the government running through 2015. on tuesday, republicans joined with democrats to end the

debate. it easily cleared the house last week. president obama has said he will sign the bill. india is fighting back against what it calls a barbaric treatment against one of its diplomats in new york. a consular was arrested last like on charges that she faked document foss her housekeeper visa. officials strip-searched her before she could post bond. stripping u.s. officials of their diplomatic i.d. cards. 38 minutes after the hour, a helicopter crash has left six service american members dead in afghanistan. officials originally blamed a mechanical trouble, but now two senior officials is telling cnn, they're looking into reports that the troops may have survived the crash but were killed by mortar fire after the chopper went down. as of now, we tell you that the

reports have not been confirmed. the west now does not think that bashar al assad should leave power. ford telling a foreign tv station that the white house position and al assad should go. reuters quoting that they were told by western officials that there's growing fear that syria may collapse in chaos. peace talks between the government and the remembers were scheduled for next month. iran may be coming back to the bargaining table. the add adviser for ayatollah co-menny told them the situation is ready to reach a agreement with world powers. they pulled out of further talks to protest how sanctions are being enforced. don't expect to see president obama at the winter olympics in sochi, russia. the white house announced that the commander in chief won't be attending and neither will be the first lady, the vice president or any former president for that matter. instead, the administration

plans to send a delegation, including tennis great billie jean king who is openly gay, pretty symbolic. >> no president or vice president, or former vice president from the government has gone to the olympics. a clear signal -- >> it will be interesting to see how vladimir putin and the russians react to this. coming up, disturbing new details released in a deadly school shooting. how a colorado student may have mapped out his revenge. plus, a teenager checking into a hospital for a routine procedure now on life support. what went so wrong. we're going to have that story and more just ahead. >> this is terrifying. splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda™

where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪ avo: thesales event "sis back. drive which means it's never been easier to get a new passat,

awarded j.d. power's most appealing midsize car, two years in a row. and right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. hurry, this offer ends january 2nd. for details, visit vwdealer.com today

startling new information about last week's deadly attack on a colorado high school. the sheriff in arapahoe county said the gunman had written numbers on his arm that seemed to correspond with classrooms and the library at arapahoe high school. also on his arm, a latin phrase meaning "the die has been cast." pierson burst into the school on friday and shot a classmate before move to get library and shooting himself in the head. that classmate claire davis is currently hospitalized in a coma. faculty are allowed back in the school to collect their belongings of a principal of another school that suffered tragedy columbine is warning

don't expect life to move on quickly. >> what i hear about a lot of times, well, the sooner we get back to school and get back to classes things will get back. things will never be normal again at arapahoe just like columbine. we had to redefine what normal is. >> students are expected to be allowed back into school on thursday but classes will not resume until next month. murder charges for the man accused of opening fire at los angeles international airport. 23-year-old paul ciancia has been formally indicted for killing a tsa officer and wound two other officers and a traveler at the airport. the charges carry a possible death sentence but prosecutors have not yet decided to seek the death penalty. a court appearance for a harvard university sophomore police say was behind a bomb threat that paralyzed a campus. the 20-year-old was accused of e-mailing threats to the harvard police monday morning claiming there were explosives in four buildings. they were evacuated and searched

but knock was found. kim was among those scheduled to take final exams on monday. a bad, bad fire in big sur continues to grow. scorching 800 acres destroying 22 homes. good news, it's now about 20% contained. big sur fire chief martha karstens is among those who lost their homes. >> until it happens to you, you feel sorry for them, but literally, i went out to fight a fire. i had my purse, i had my cell phone and my glasses, and i didn't know i was going to be trying to save my own home. >> and more good news, there are no injuries reported from the fire. cruise hope to contain it by friday. the cause is still under investigation. a woman is dead, a man seriously hurt after an explosion in birmingham, alabama. this happened shortly before 3:00 a.m. on tuesday. police say the man and woman were asleep in a first floor apartment when all of a sudden something exploded and the building collapsed. they were trapped under a

concrete slab that had fallen from the first floor. fire officials expect a natural gas leak was blamed for this. >> a lot of questions here, a huge concern, after a routine operation turns tragic for a california family. and now they want to keep their daughter on life support, despite doctors saying that she's brain-dead. 13-year-old is now an a ventilator in children's hospital in oakland. they went to the hospital last week to have their tonsils removed. but something went very badly wrong. the family has presented the hospital with a cease and desist letter saying they alone should decide if she should die. >> i'll take my daughter off of life support because i love my child. i walked into her that hospital she was percently fine. she had no health problems. even after she got out of the surgery, i talked to her only thing she said, her throat hurt and that she wanted a popsicle.

once she got to icu, that's when everything went bad. i don't want her off life support, i really feel like she can wake up. i feel like it's been a rough week for her. if they give her more time, she'll be able to wake up. >> the hospital says it will abide by the family's wishes are and not about to speak about the case and correct what it calls misperceptions about what happened. astronauts are set to spend the weekend walking in space to fix a problem with a broken cooling line that is crippling the international space station. the first space walk is scheduled for saturday and could last as long as six hours. a second is planned for monday. and if not resolved by then, the astronauts could spend christmas day working again. a growing number of teens think pot is not dangerous. an annual survey by the national execute on drug abuse found less than 40% consider it dangerous. compared to 60 bars back in

1993. the rate of use actually stayed steady. but the report also found fewer teens are trying fake marijuana known by names like k-2 and spice. well, we know that christmas can be an expensive holiday. but one man near chicago is finding out this first hand because of this right here. this extraordinary light display. it contains 100,000 lights and more than a mile of extension cords. wait till you hear the price tag. i know you're wondering, the price tag for electricity that keeps the display lit up. try $1600. no big deal. he even had an extra electric line installed just to handle the display. he says it's worth it for the good time he has decorating it. >> somewhere, clark griswold is smiling at that. probably not all the lights there are white. let's take a look at what's coming up on "new day." chris cuomo and kate bolduan join us. >> good morning, you guys. we're here, we didn't win,

right? >> that's exactly right. the big question, who did win, mega millions jackpot, $636 million. not one but two jackpot winning tickets. we're going to be live at the two locations that sold tickets to the winners, san jose and georgia. and a very different story that we're following india is retaliating against the united states. an indian diplomat was arrested in new york on visa fraud charges. india is even removing security barriers at the u.s. embassy there, if you can believe it. so are officials there in danger. what is going on. >> that's a serious mess going on right there. >> all right, guys. coming up next, we could know today if the taper is coming to an end. a big announcement from the fed. maybe -- sounds complicated but this could mean a lot for you and your money. "money time" is next. s trash bag each month, we can.

and glad forceflex bags stretch until they're full.* so you can take them out less often. life with crohn's disease ois a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts? what if i eat the wrong thing? what if? what if i suddenly have to go? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisadvocates.com to connect with a patient advocate from abbvie for one-to-one support and education. but it doesn't usually work that way with health care. with unitedhealthcare, i get information on quality rated doctors, treatment options and cost estimates, so we can make better health decisions. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

all right. welcome back to "early start," everyone. great to see you this morning. it is now "money time" and alison kosik is here with that. >> we're taking about the taper. it's about the federal reserve and what it decides to do with the taper. a mini taper, a micro taper, maybe a mega tape are. >> a titanic taper.

>> so funny, isn't it? ben bernanke the president chairman is give his last conference. the big question for investors is when this will happen and by how much the fed will bin reeling back its stimulus program. so far the fed has pumped $3.8 trillion into the market that's kept interest rates unusually low. while some economists, in fact, most economists expect it after the meeting a mini taper could be in the cards. >> like a tapette, a tapertini. >> the company seems to be getting back on its feet. they're doing a good job. bouncing back. but not all the way yet. gdp is better than expectations. the housing market continues to

rebound. auto sales are on a tear, so you add that to the market strength. for the year, the dow up 21%. the nasdaq up 33%. the s&p 500 up 25%. whoo! not too shabby. but rates have always been rising. the ten-year which is an important benchmark for mortgages is up sharply since the beginning of the year. and how are the markets expected to react to a mini taper? probably not much. the predominant thinking on wall street is that a small taper is already factored in. what investors you listening to carefully what ben bernanke may say about job us going forward. since the jobless rate is 7%. bernanke could push the fed's threshold rate lower than 6%, and that will have implications for interest rates down the road. you may see tweaking. 2:00 is the decision, 2:30 is

the press conference. >> it's hugely important to everyone and their 401(k)s and their jobs and the markets today at 2:00. >> thank you. coming up right here on "early start," george zimmerman from accused killer to artist? bids for artwork reported to be skyrocketing on ebay. how much it's going for this morning may be a head-scratcher. we'll right back. mm-hmm. [ engine revs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] oh what fun it is to ride. get the mercedes-benz on your wish list at the winter event going on now -- but hurry, the offers end december 31st. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho! [ male announcer ] lease the 2014 ml350 for $599 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. see who does good work and compare costs. it doesn't usually work that way with health care. but with unitedhealthcare, i get information on quality rated doctors,

treatment options and estimates for how much i'll pay. that helps me, and my guys, make better decisions. i don't like guesses with my business, and definitely not with our health. innovations that work for you. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. jim, i adore the pool at your hotel.ver had to make. anna, your hotels have wondrous waffle bars. ryan, your hotels' robes are fabulous. i have twelve of them. twelve? shhhh, i'm worth it& what i'm trying to say is, it's so hard to pick just one of you, so i'm choosing all of you with hotels.com. a loyalty program that requires no loyalty. plus members can win a free night every day only at hotels.com

all right. welcome back to "early start," everyone. george zimmerman's artistic star continues to rise. so, as we told you, he posted this painting of a blue american flag on ebay earlier this week. the price tag, he listed it at $50. well, so many people have now bid on it, it's now going for, get this, more than $110,000. and there are still three days left to bid. $110,000. i have to say this is ebay. i have my doubts on whether anyone will shell out that money. nevertheless, seems like a big deal. we'll have more on "new day." our critic jerry salts will join

chris and kate. >> a saw chris read about this is a can someone explain this, police. >> all right. "new day" starts right now. if i win, there's going to be a party at the convention center, you're invited. >> jackpot, two lucky winners in two different states hit the magic numbers and win the big prize. they split $636 million. so, who won? we're live where the tickets were sold. terror at the hospital. a gunman opens fire in a medical center killing one victim. others injured. what drove the shooter to killy we're live at the scene. the sochi snub. no heavy hitters among the level gags at the olympics.

this winter, your "new day" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. good morning. welcome to "new day." it is wednesday, december 18th, 6:00 in the east. and let us start with good luck. >> yes, please. >> two people are holding tickets that match the winning numbers in the $636 million mega millions drawing. now, you may not have won the whole enchilada but there are riches to be had. scramble for your tickets, 8, 14, 17, 20 and 39 with the mega ball number of 7. one ticket was sold in california. the other in georgia. we have correspondents standing by in both locations. let's start with dan simon at jenny's gift shop in san jose. >> good morning, chris. we're waiting to see if this